September 19, 2017 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Announcements
Repairs to McKeesport's Jerome Street Bridge will cause lane restrictions for an indefinite amount of time, the state Department of Transportation has announced.
Traffic is currently being diverted from the right lane on the westbound side of the bridge, heading from Downtown to 10th Ward.
But PennDOT District 11 spokesman Steve Cowan said crews will be doing repairs on the bridge structure in the opposite, eastbound direction. PennDOT employees will conduct the work.
The bridge, which carries more than 11,000 vehicles daily, is scheduled for a $13 million rehabilitation project in 2019.
September 14, 2017 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: Announcements
Kennywood Park's first million-dollar ride is getting a last hurrah this weekend, and going out with a splash. (Sorry.)
The venerable West Mifflin amusement park announced Thursday that the Log Jammer is being closed and will be replaced by a different attraction.
"It is a bittersweet decision, but one that in time will create some exciting opportunities for our guests," said Jerome Gibas, Kennywood general manager, in a prepared statement. "While no final decisions have been made regarding what will replace the Log Jammer, Kennywood is committed to enhancing our guests' experiences while preserving our signature balance of modern thrills and traditional family favorites."
Kennywood's summer season ends this Sunday. The park re-opens with Halloween themed attractions for Phantom Fright Nights beginning Sept. 29 and continuing Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 29. Holiday light displays begin Nov. 24.
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September 13, 2017 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Announcements
Christy Park United Methodist Church, 29th Avenue at Beale Street, will have a barbecue dinner from 2 to 6 p.m. Oct. 7 with food prepared by "BBQ Stu" Wilson, a spokeswoman said.
Meals will include a full rack of ribs for $22, a half-rack of ribs for $12 and a half chicken for $9.
Meals include baked beans, lexington slaw and a biscuit. Call (412) 678-3110.
September 12, 2017 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: Announcements
A longtime community volunteer and current Democratic Party official has declared his candidacy for the 35th Legislative District seat currently held by state Rep. Marc Gergely.
Austin Davis, executive assistant to Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald since 2012 and vice-chair of the Allegheny County Democratic Committee, announced his campaign Tuesday. His is the first declared candidacy for what is expected to be a hotly contested race in 2018.
Davis, of McKeesport, has been a familiar face to Mon-Yough residents since high school, when he served as a member of a Youth Advisory Council created by Jim Brewster, then mayor of McKeesport and now a state senator.
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September 11, 2017 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Announcements
(Image courtesy Miller Funeral Home and Crematory, Somerset)
The coroner whose jurisdiction included victims of the crash of United Airlines Flight 93 will talk about his experiences during a lecture this Saturday.
West Newton Public Library will host a discussion entitled "9/11" at 10 a.m. Sept. 16 at the First Baptist Church of West Newton, corner of South Sixth Street and Vine Street, West Newton, a spokesperson said.
The featured speaker will be Somerset County Coroner Wally Miller, who responded when the plane, which had been hijacked by terrorists, crashed into a field outside of Shanksville on Sept. 11, 2001.
It is believed that the terrorists were planning to crash the plane into a government building in Washington, D.C., and that passengers of the plane wrested control from them before that could happen.
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September 11, 2017 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Announcements
(All photos: Submitted by Annette James, McKeesport Lions Club)
On a beautiful late summer Sunday in Renziehausen Park, local residents and the McKeesport Lions Club celebrated patriotism with a parade down Eden Park Boulevard.
The Patriotism Parade, which on came on the evening before the 16th anniversary of the devastating terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, was followed by a salute to veterans at the Lions Club Bandshell; a concert by Monroeville-based singer Judi Figel; and fireworks, said Lions Club member Annette James.
Figel's concert closed out the summer concert series organized by the Lions.
The parade began at 6 p.m. at Sycamore Drive and continued onto Eden Park Boulevard, Tulip Drive and Arboretum Drive, and included the McKeesport Area High School Tiger Marching Band, fire units from McKeesport and White Oak, and local schoolchildren.
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September 11, 2017 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: Announcements
(Tube City Almanac photo)
Duquesne-based Vegely Welding Inc. is completing renovations to a building on Walnut Street in McKeesport as it expands its operations.
The nearly $1 million expansion project is being financed in part by a $300,000 Enterprise Zone loan arranged by the Redevelopment Authority of the City of Duquesne.
According to a press release from the Redevelopment Authority of the City of Duquesne, Vegely has 20 employees at its present location along Route 837 and plans to add up to 15 more in McKeesport. Company president Ken Vegely did not return phone calls seeking comment.
The expansion utilizes part of a building that was begun by the now-defunct Capco Contracting Co. in 2003 on the site of the old Tube City Brewing Co., but left unfinished after Capco's owners were indicted for fraud.
Vegley’s loan is part of a $916,750 project which is also funded through private equity as well as a bank loan, according to a spokeswoman for McKeesport Mayor Mike Cherepko.
Work on the McKeesport facility began approximately four months ago, Cherepko's office said, and is expected to be complete in six to eight months.
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September 08, 2017 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: Announcements
According to the calendar, it's still summer. But with Labor Day in the rear-view mirror, and a bit of a chill in the air in the Mon-Yough area these past few nights, fall is obviously just around the corner.
And even if you're not ready to put away your short-sleeved shirts yet, it's time to start thinking about winter.
That's according to LuEthel Nesbit, program administrator in the Mon Valley office of the non-profit agency ACTION-Housing. Nesbit says now is the time for residents to start thinking about winterizing their homes.
"A lot of times, people wait until it gets cold outside, and then it's too late," says Nesbit, who also serves as a McKeesport city councilwoman. "Once the money runs out, it runs out."
Last year, she says, ACTION-Housing provided weatherization assistance to 226 households through the U.S. Department of Energy and to an additional 82 households through the state's Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP.
Heating and air-conditioning repairs and replacements were made for 716 households through the state Department of Public Assistance LIHEAP crisis program, Nesbit says.
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September 06, 2017 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Announcements
Planning is underway for McKeesport's 53rd annual Salute to Santa parade, and nominations are being sought from district students who want to be nominated as the Christmas event's queen and princess.
A spokeswoman for Mayor Michael Cherepko said the parade is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. Nov. 18 at the McKee's Point Marina, Fifth Avenue at Water Street, Downtown, and proceed up Fifth Avenue to City Hall.
A Christmas party is held following the event at the Palisades.
"The Salute to Santa parade and children's party have established a longstanding tradition in McKeesport," Cherepko said in a statement. "Each year, thousands of spectators from across the Mon Valley line Fifth Avenue in downtown McKeesport to watch a procession of holiday floats, marching bands, dance troupes, fire trucks and more."
Participation in the parade is open to community groups, student organizations, churches, businesses and local officials, the spokeswoman said.
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September 06, 2017 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Announcements
Seven bands, plus the Rankin Junior Tamburitzans, will take the stage on Sept. 16 at a concert to benefit seven local charities.
The first-ever "Mon Valley Sizzles" music and food festival is being held at the Carrie Furnaces national historic site in Rankin and Swissvale. Gates open at 3 p.m. and live music continues until 10 p.m., a spokeswoman said.
Groups scheduled to appear include Brownie Mary, The Gathering Field, Billy Price Band, House of Soul, Brass Roots, Velcro Shoes and Pillow Project.
The event is being organized by the Mon-Yough Area Chamber of Commerce as a benefit for the Carnegie Library of Homestead, McKeesport Hospital Foundation, Mifflin Township Historical Society, Rainbow Kitchen Community Services, Mon Yough Community Services and the Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area, which administers the Carrie Furnaces site and the Bost Building in Homestead.
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